A Lame Deer woman accused of arranging a commercial sexual encounter between a Billings doctor and an underage girl pleaded guilty to federal charges Wednesday, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Veronica Clarice Baker, 29, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Billings to one count of sex trafficking of a minor. She faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors alleged in court documents that sometime before April 9, 2023, Baker met Dr. Usman Khan on a social media website for people interested in a commercial sex relationship. The two discussed online finding a minor for commercial sex for Khan, according to court documents.
Baker told him she knew an underage girl who had babysat her children. The girl, at that time, was with Baker in a hotel room in Billings.
Baker sent pictures of the girl to Khan, and the two discussed rates, according to court documents.
Baker then took the girl to Khan, and the two "engaged in sexual activity," Alme stated in a news release. He then paid both the girl and Baker, according to Alme.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. U.S. District Court Judge Susan P. Watters will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at a later time. Baker was detained pending further proceedings.
In June, Khan pleaded guilty to one felony count of interstate transportation in aid of racketeering. He faces penalties of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Khan cared for patients at St. Vincent Regional Hospital as a contract worker, but he was not an employee of Intermountain Health, which owns the hospital. He no longer does work at the hospital.
Related: Billings doctor pleads guilty to soliciting minor for sex
